Social Taboos
There are many social taboos among the Yami, including a strong gendered taboo and cultural system that was touched on in the sustenance and food taboo sections. While these taboos have less to do in relation to the environment in the strictly landscape sense, the small size of the island and the lack of good relations with the neighboring islands makes social regulations for keeping peace extremely important to the Yami people's survival. With the island being small enough to walk in a single day and a naturally small native population, if relationships between villages soured or if it was socially acceptable to hold grudges outside of ritual battle it could be disastrous. The social taboos hold as a safety check to maintain tradition and peace on the island. …show more content…
Violence outside this system may happen, mainly if someone violates strong taboo, but most arguments stick to words or stone throwing, and more extreme issues can result in the calling of a ritual fight to protect the family honor. Great care is taken not to kill someone during these fights, and in general, even by accident. A death is a death and if a person is responsible then a vendetta is set in place between the two families, which continues until there are no male members left of one of the families.
The heavily skewed demographics of 5/2 male to female ratio would seem to invite problems in most cultures; yet the taboos against touching another's woman, strict taboos against cheating, and the vendetta system combined has kept the competitive nature of the Yami in getting a wife peaceful. While peaceful it has also created an unfortunate situation for the "30 percentile", the label given to men who are unable to get a wife, and in effect would never have either woman or
There are many social taboos among the Yami, including a strong gendered taboo and cultural system that was touched on in the sustenance and food taboo sections. While these taboos have less to do in relation to the environment in the strictly landscape sense, the small size of the island and the lack of good relations with the neighboring islands makes social regulations for keeping peace extremely important to the Yami people's survival. With the island being small enough to walk in a single day and a naturally small native population, if relationships between villages soured or if it was socially acceptable to hold grudges outside of ritual battle it could be disastrous. The social taboos hold as a safety check to maintain tradition and peace on the island. …show more content…
Violence outside this system may happen, mainly if someone violates strong taboo, but most arguments stick to words or stone throwing, and more extreme issues can result in the calling of a ritual fight to protect the family honor. Great care is taken not to kill someone during these fights, and in general, even by accident. A death is a death and if a person is responsible then a vendetta is set in place between the two families, which continues until there are no male members left of one of the families.
The heavily skewed demographics of 5/2 male to female ratio would seem to invite problems in most cultures; yet the taboos against touching another's woman, strict taboos against cheating, and the vendetta system combined has kept the competitive nature of the Yami in getting a wife peaceful. While peaceful it has also created an unfortunate situation for the "30 percentile", the label given to men who are unable to get a wife, and in effect would never have either woman or